Feedback before placing first HT order :)

[dorimon]

Hi everyone!  I am trying to plan out my first HT order.  I'm nearing the end of my 13-month Master's program, and will soon have time to try making cat food.

I was originally going to order ground rabbit since it already has the optimal meat/bone/organ ratio, but then I saw this thread discussing how the ground rabbit contains the thyroid gland.  I was planning to use Alnutrin to supplement, so I decided to switch to a different protein.

Untitled.png

• dorimon
• May 13, 2016

The ground duck is 71% meat, 24% bone, 5% organ, so I computed that the following:

• meat:  9.55# (≈ 79.6%)
• bone:  1.20# (≈ 10.0%)
• organ: 1.25# (≈ 10.4%)

Any feedback/suggestions before I place the order?  I did want to order turkey gizzards for dental health as well.  Could I cut them into small pieces and mix them in, or should I just feed them separately?

 

[missmimz]

The rabbit/bones/organs mixture doesn't contain thyroid, so you can use that one with alnutrin. The whole ground rabbit does contain thyroid, so you wouldn't want that one.

Are you going to mix the boneless turkey thighs with the duck? I feed the boneless turkey thighs on their own with alnutrin with eggshell calcium OR Ezcomplete. 

 

[dorimon]

 
The rabbit/bones/organs mixture doesn't contain thyroid, so you can use that one with alnutrin. The whole ground rabbit does contain thyroid, so you wouldn't want that one.

Are you going to mix the boneless turkey thighs with the duck? I feed the boneless turkey thighs on their own with alnutrin with eggshell calcium OR Ezcomplete. 

Yup, I was planning to mix together all of the above (probably split into three batches).  I'm going to purchase a food scale so I can accurately measure out the right amounts.

Also, I was wondering if the small bag of Alnutrin sold by HT (https://hare-today.com/product/other/alnutrin_for_cats_or_ferrets_small_for_bone_in_meat_grinds) is packaged in small packets, or if you have to measure it out using a scoop.

According to the description of the rabbit/bones/organ mixture, it does  contain the thyroid gland: https://hare-today.com/product/raw_pet_food/ground_rabbitbonesorgans_1_lb_fine_ground

 

[missmimz]

 
Yup, I was planning to mix together all of the above (probably split into three batches).  I'm going to purchase a food scale so I can accurately measure out the right amounts.

Also, I was wondering if the small bag of Alnutrin sold by HT (https://hare-today.com/product/other/alnutrin_for_cats_or_ferrets_small_for_bone_in_meat_grinds) is packaged in small packets, or if you have to measure it out using a scoop.

According to the description of the rabbit/bones/organ mixture, it does  contain the thyroid gland: https://hare-today.com/product/raw_pet_food/ground_rabbitbonesorgans_1_lb_fine_ground

Ah, that's interesting. I have some 2lbs chubs in my freezer from a few months ago that don't say they contain thyroid. I wonder if she either updated the listing or changed the supply. I don't buy alnutrin from HT, i buy it directly from the company because I live in AZ (where they also manufacture alnutrin) so its easier for me. The pre-package alnutrin is nice if you don't have a scale or don't want to have to measure out the supplement. 

 

[sophie1]

Just a suggestion, before you order 5 lbs of something you're not sure your cats will eat.  I suggest ordering a "sampler" of 1 lb packages of different proteins and see how your cat reacts.  Have fun with it!  Rabbit being a perennial kitty favorite and also VERY reasonably priced at HT, I wouldn't leave that off!

Also I wouldn't get too worked up about the thyroid gland issue.  Yes, the whole ground animal products (rabbit, cavies, pheasant etc) contain all organs including thyroid.  For this order it's fine to use the Alnutrin, but going forward you may want to make your own mix.  You'll be able to tailor it however you like, and it's far cheaper not to mention possibly more convenient, because you can stock up at the grocery.

 

[dorimon]

 
I don't buy alnutrin from HT, i buy it directly from the company because I live in AZ (where they also manufacture alnutrin) so its easier for me. The pre-package alnutrin is nice if you don't have a scale or don't want to have to measure out the supplement. 

Gotcha.  I'll probably order Alnutrin direct as well then.

 
Just a suggestion, before you order 5 lbs of something you're not sure your cats will eat.  I suggest ordering a "sampler" of 1 lb packages of different proteins and see how your cat reacts.  Have fun with it!  Rabbit being a perennial kitty favorite and also VERY reasonably priced at HT, I wouldn't leave that off!

Also I wouldn't get too worked up about the thyroid gland issue.  Yes, the whole ground animal products (rabbit, cavies, pheasant etc) contain all organs including thyroid.  For this order it's fine to use the Alnutrin, but going forward you may want to make your own mix.  You'll be able to tailor it however you like, and it's far cheaper not to mention possibly more convenient, because you can stock up at the grocery.

My kitties have eaten Primal frozen raw nuggets (chicken & salmon, turkey, beef & salmon, pheasant) as well as Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Bites (chicken, rabbit).  They've loved everything except for Primal pheasant (which was a completely new protein to them).  They also love both turkey and duck in canned food... so I figured that these proteins would be safe options, especially since Coco and Callie aren't picky eaters.  I would want to order a "sampler," as you suggested, but I'm concerned about the meat/bone/organ percentages.

I want to stick with Alnutrin first, and then look into making my own mix.  Similar to how I started out with commercial raw before looking into ordering from HT. 

 

[missmimz]

If you're interested in making your own mix I found this calculator to help figure out how much of taurine, vitamins E and B to add for smaller batches. I actually didn't realize the rabbit without fur had thyroid I swear it didn't say that before, but I could have just missed it, glad you pointed it out! But my cats don't eat it exclusively, so I think I'm ok. But going forward I'm not going to use alnutrin. I agree that rabbit is overwhelmingly a cat favorite so you might want to give it a go. 

http://feline-nutrition.org/attachments/Recipe_Calculator.html

 

[dorimon]

I also just wanted to mention that I won't be feeding raw exclusively.  We feed raw on weekends in our household.  So perhaps I'm worrying a bit too much, since raw is only 14-28% of the kitties' total diet over the course of a week?

I do want to order turkey gizzards or something for dental health.  Any suggestions on how to feed it?

 

[maureen brad]

Dorimon,  I feed the Turkey gizzard from HT. At first I did cut them in half and add them to the food mix. Now I just throw  in whole. . The quality is awesome.You  could always freeze them on a cookie sheet,bag them and then you can thaw them individually and use them as treats

 

[dorimon]

 
Dorimon,  I feed the Turkey gizzard from HT. At first I did cut them in half and add them to the food mix. Now I just throw  in whole. . The quality is awesome.You  could always freeze them on a cookie sheet,bag them and then you can thaw them individually and use them as treats

Thanks!!!  Do you know approximately how many pieces are in one 2 lb. bag?

 

[beth0612]

dorimon, I ordered a 2-lb. bag of turkey gizzards in my first order that I received last week. I just went and looked at it and it's between 9 and 12. They're bigger than I was expecting. It's hard to tell because they're frozen into a block, so i couldn't really make out the individual ones.

My kittens wouldn't touch it when I gave them a gizzard, so I ended up putting them back in the freezer. I've learned with my kittens that whenever I spring something new and raw on them they're skeptical. I was more concerned about getting them to eat their main raw meal that I decided to wait on the gizzards. They're eating their raw food like gangbusters now, so I need to work on reintroducing the gizzards. We need clean teeth!